


Young and Free

by interstred



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:15:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstred/pseuds/interstred
Summary: She promised to return to him.
Relationships: He/She
Kudos: 2





	Young and Free

**Author's Note:**

> soundtrack: Dermot Kennedy - Young and Free.  
> inspiration by Sims 3

The man stood on the sandy shore of the sea and looked at the endless sea. Waves splashed at his feet, and his gaze did not leave the horizon, where the sun slowly dipped into the water, painting the sky in shades of pink and red. His shoulders were straightened, and his eyes burned with hope.

The man stood motionless until the sun disappeared and twilight fell on the earth. When the last ray of the sun flashed and disappeared, he stood for a few more minutes, and after that his shoulders sank and his eyes went out.

\- She didn't come. - he whispered softly, unable to tear his eyes away.

He returned to the house by the sea, where he lived, when it was already dark. He warmed up ready-made semi-finished products in the microwave and sat down to eat, not feeling the taste of food.

The routine that consumed him and turned all days into an endless stream of monotonous actions. Wake up - work - meet the sunset, and then have dinner alone, go to bed, and repeat it all over again in the morning. Day after day, year after year, for almost two decades.

Every night he fell asleep with the thought that tomorrow she would finally come. Hope still lived in his heart.

Before finally falling asleep, he played through the priceless memories in which they were together in his head.

.. That spring, he saw her on the shore by chance, when he was clearing the shore of algae, which had been washed over by a wave overnight. She lay motionless, naked, golden-haired. And she barely breathed. Tearing off his jacket, he wrapped it up and carried it to the car, where she, warmed up, came to her senses.

And she was scared when she saw him. He calmed her down as best he could and took her to his house on the beach. She was still afraid of him, but seeing that he was not trying to harm her, she calmed down and allowed her to help.

After a couple of days, she finally regained consciousness.

He tried to find out what happened to her, but she never spoke about herself. And he stopped insisting.

She could hardly move on her feet, as if she had never done this before. He helped and did not let her fall. Gradually she got used to him and to his touch.

They spent that summer together in a small house by the sea. They became close and fell in love with each other. They spent a lot of time together, parting only for short periods of time.

Sometimes we got out to the nearest town and went to dances, because she loved to dance.

It was strange - at first she hardly knew how to walk, and after that she tried to spend as much time on her feet as possible, as if she was trying to walk in reserve, so that there would be enough for later. And one day, seeing someone dancing, she couldn't resist.

Their favorite song was 'Young and Free' to which they kissed in the semi-darkness of a small local bar.

He was twenty and he was happy.

That evening, at the end of summer, they were returning home along the road along the coast.

She joked and laughed, but suddenly stared at the sea and, without taking her eyes off, asked him to stop the car.

Jumping out immediately after stopping, she rushed to the sea. He rushed after him, stopping a couple of steps when he saw several girlish heads, which towered over the water surface.

She, right in her clothes, rushed into the sea and hugged unknown girls in turn, crying and laughing.

Turning suddenly, she saw him, perplexedly standing on the shore. And releasing the girls from their embrace, swam up to him and went ashore.

\- I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, - she said quietly, - I'm a mermaid, daughter of the sea. I was thrown ashore by a storm, far from home. I didn't know how to get home, so I stayed with you. You taught me how to walk and gave me the joy of human life, but now I need to go home with my sisters.

\- So, - he whispered in disbelief, - are you leaving?

\- I'll be back, - she said confidently, - I'll definitely come back to you.

She took his hand and turned him towards the sea, pointing to the burning scarlet setting sun:

\- In the hour when the last ray of sunshine flashes, I will return to you. Just wait, - she kissed him briefly and, not waiting for an answer, scattered and dived into the sea. Then the mermaids disappeared.

He was left alone perplexedly standing on the shore, in the slowly approaching twilight, unable to take his eyes off the calm water surface, which hid her from him.

\- She promised to come back, - he whispered softly. - She promised..

\- She promised, -he said barely audibly, falling asleep only to wait for the next day to come. 

The day when he will again go out to the seashore at sunset to wait, because she promised him to return.


End file.
